Posted by ChasinDatPaper on September 26, 2010 at 7:13am
Frank Mir got the job on Saturday for the Ultimate Fighting Championship's debut in Indianapolis, but that's about the only positive for him.
On a card that produced seven decisions, Mir narrowly avoided being part of the eighth by landing a right knee to floor Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic and record a knockout with 58 seconds left in their main-event bout at UFC 119. The result came after two-and-a-half sluggish rounds.
AS IT HAPPENED: UFC 119 play-by-play
Both men appeared tentative for much of the contest. Filipovic followed his customary habit of circling and waiting for openings to throw punches and kicks from the left, while Mir generally threw punches just long enough to close the distance for takedown attempts.
Referee Herb Dean separated them and restarted the action each round after extended clinchwork standing against the cage. The Indianapolis crowd booed heavily at several points as Mir and Filipovic eyed each other warily or wrestled while standing against the cage.
The end came when Filipovic charged forward in the waning minute to throw a punch combination. Mir grabbed the back of Filipovic's neck for a sloppy Muay Thai clinch, pulled his head down and slammed home the knee. Filipovic fell to the mat stunned and Mir landed two more punches on his unresisting foe before Dean could jump in to halt the bout.
Mir criticized his own performance heavily after the fight.
"I could have pushed the pace a little bit," he said. "I'm not happy at all."
The former champion admitted that he was wary of Filipovic's dangerous left hand and left kick. Mir also found flaws in his own wrestling technique; Filipovic, who is well-known for his takedown defense, shut down all of Mir's attempts to bring the fight to the mat.
Filipovic, taking the bout on just five weeks' notice as a replacement for the injured Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, saw his winning streak snapped at two. Mir rebounded from a loss in March.
Other results Saturday:
• Ryan Bader preserved his perfect record with a unanimous 30-27 decision over fellow light-heavyweight Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in the co-main event. Bader (12-0) occasionally swung away with powerful overhand right when they were standing, but he largely focused on outwrestling Nogueira (19-4). The winner took down his opponent six times in 12 attempts, according to Compustrike.
Bader made no apologies for his strategy.
"I just had to be careful," he said. "I had a lot on the line in this fight."
The win could vault Bader into the top 10 for light heavyweights. Nogueira and Bader are Nos. 6 and 16 in the USA TODAY/SB Nation consensus rankings for light-heavyweights.
• Sean Sherk (33-4-1) put the first blemish on Evan Dunham's professional record with a split decision that drew vocal criticism. Sherk controlled the pace of the first two rounds with takedowns and significant stretches of top control on the mat. Dunham (11-1) threatened with guillotine chokes multiple times, though, and clearly outstruck Sherk on the feet throughout the fight.
Two judges scored the fight 29-28 for Sherk. One saw it by an identical score for Dunham. The crowd heavily booed the decision as it was announced.
Sherk, a UFC ex-champion, regained his relevance by beating Dunham, the consensus No. 10 lightweight. It was the first fight for the oft-injured Sherk since May 2009 and his first win in almost two years .
• Chris "Lights Out" Lytle (30-17-5) avenged his 2006 loss to former champion Matt "The Terror" Serra (11-7) by winning a unanimous 30-27 decision. It was the polar opposite from the tedium of their first fight, as the welterweights came in determined to slug away this time. Lytle, an experienced professional boxer, connected often with hooks and uppercuts as the shorter Serra tried to attack the body.
Lytle praised Serra, a highly decorated jiu-jitsu practitioner and, for brawling with him rather than turning the fight into a grappling contest.
"I can't give the guy enough credit for that," Lytle said. "That was awesome to me. He gave me the fight I wanted."
The result was the fourth consecutive win for Lytle, the consensus No. 23 welterweight. Serra currently has the No. 13 ranking.
• Melvin Guillard won his third bout in a row with a decision over Jeremy Stephens. Guillard (26-8-2, 1 no contest) spent three rounds constantly moving in to deliver one or two punches before slipping away while the slower Stephens (17-6) missed with counterstrikes.
Guillard expressed dissatisfaction with his inability to knock out Stephens.
"I respected his right hand a lot," Guillard said. " I didn't want to get clipped. .... I'm happy with the win but I'm not as happy with the performance, how it ended up, because I'm an exciting fighter."
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